Storyteller Without Words: The Wood Engravings of Lynd Ward

(1974)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1)

cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Indexer Notes

Hardbound cover

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

blank page(s) / 3 pages (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Storyteller Without Words

Indexer Notes

Half-title page

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Storyteller Without Words

Indexer Notes

Title page, dedication, front matter

Contents (Table of Contents: 6)

table of contents / 1 page (report information)

Letters

Typeset

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I. The Way of Wood Engraving

Indexer Notes

Chapter divider

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

The Way of Wood Engraving (Table of Contents: 10)

text article / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Genre

non-fiction

Reprints

• in Lynd Ward[:] Gods' Man * Madman's Drum * Wild Pilgrimage (The Library of America, 2010 series) (2010)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

II. Gods' Man

Indexer Notes

Chapter divider

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

text article / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Probably the most encouraging experience that awaits every young artist, as he opens that first door into the world of art... is the realization that, in the end, there is no truly final answer to the simple question 'What is art?'

Reprints

• in Lynd Ward[:] Gods' Man * Madman's Drum * Wild Pilgrimage (The Library of America, 2010 series) (2010)

[Gods' Man] I. The Brush (Table of Contents: 14)

comic story / 10.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

The artist; beggar; innkeeper; mysterious stranger [the devil]

Synopsis

Through stormy seas the artist makes his way to a new country, where he gives all his substance to relieve a beggar. He tries to barter his artwork for a meal, only to be met with derision. But a mysterious stranger buys his art, and gives him a brush which has been used by great artists throughout the ages. The artist joyously signs a contract for the brush.

Reprints

• from Gods' Man (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929 series) ([November 13] 1929)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; pact with the devil; pantomime; woodcut; wordless

[Gods' Man] II. The Mistress (Table of Contents: 15)

comic story / 11.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

The artist; dealer; the mistress

Synopsis

The artist begins to paint with the new brush, quickly gathering an enthusiastic following. The dealer auctions his work for great prices, and sets him up with fine clothes and a wonderful studio. The dealer further introduces the artist to a stunning woman, the mistress -- to whom the dealer whispers instructions.

Reprints

• from Gods' Man (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929 series) ([November 13] 1929)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; pantomime; woodcut; wordless

[Gods' Man] III. The Brand (Table of Contents: 16)

comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

The artist; the mistress; policeman; judge; art dealer

Synopsis

The artist paints the mistress, but discovers that she is branded with the sign of the dollar. As he staggers through the city he discovers her again and again in lewd circumstances. He is arrested by one of her paramours, sentenced to prison by another. Escaping jail, he is chased from the city by a mob incited by the art dealer.

Reprints

• from Gods' Man (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929 series) ([November 13] 1929)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; pantomime; prison; woodcut; wordless

[Gods' Man] IV. The Wife (Table of Contents: 17)

comic story / 9.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

The artist; the wife; baby

Synopsis

Gamboling among the goats on a hillside at dawn, a young woman discovers the collapsed artist. She takes him to her hut and nurses him. He broods over the distant city, but at length she leads him to see the mountains, hills, and stars. She gives birth to a child, and the artist exults beneath the sun.

Reprints

• from Gods' Man (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929 series) ([November 13] 1929)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; pantomime; woodcut; wordless

[Gods' Man] V. The Portrait (Table of Contents: 18)

comic story / 6.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

The artist; the wife; child; mysterious stranger [the devil] [death]

Synopsis

The family lives happily together; father and child both paint. At length the artist is thrilled to see his old friend, the mysterious stranger who provided him with that marvelous brush. The artist cheerfully leaves his family and paints the stranger's portrait. But as the artist paints, the stranger removes a mask. The stricken artist plunges into the abyss while the stranger retrieves his brush, finally revealing that his true face is a death's head.

Reprints

• from Gods' Man (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1929 series) ([November 13] 1929)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; pact with the devil; pantomime; woodcut; wordless

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 19)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

III. Madman's Drum

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 20)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 21)

text article / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

If, as so many writers have assured us, life is a journey, then our experiences lead logically toward a distant point about which we really know only that it is the journey's end.

Genre

non-fiction

Reprints

• in Lynd Ward[:] Gods' Man * Madman's Drum * Wild Pilgrimage (The Library of America, 2010 series) (2010)

Madman's Drum (Table of Contents: 22)

comic story / 42 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Slaver; African; slaver's son [Madman]; piper; Madman's wife; Madman's son; Madman's daughter; judge; informer; young man

Synopsis

A slaver brings an African's drum home as a trophy. When his son plays the drum, the father sets him to books. As others roister or labor the young man [Madman] becomes expert in many fields, finally taking a wife. Through his life, a mysterious piper appears. As Madman's son grows he agitates for communism. When authorities frame the young man Madman proves the lad's innocence, but the laughing judges have already hanged him. Madman's daughter becomes enamored of a young man who treats her vilely, leading to her death. Madman reclaims his drum and walks away with the piper.

Reprints

• from Madman's Drum (Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, 1930 series) ([November] 1930)

Keywords

Engraving; pantomime; woodcut; wordless

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 23)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

IV. Wild Pilgrimage

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 24)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 25)

text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The early thirties were a time when it seemed problematical whether the great, complicated American economic machine, which had but recently made such confident promises about the future, could ever be cranked up again.

Genre

non-fiction

Reprints

• in Lynd Ward[:] Gods' Man * Madman's Drum * Wild Pilgrimage (The Library of America, 2010 series) (2010)

Wild Pilgrimage (Table of Contents: 26)

comic story / 48 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Colors

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

drama

Characters

Protagonist; industrial workers; lynch mob; lynch victim; first farmer; first farmer's wife; second farmer; woman agitator; police

Synopsis

Oppressed by the industrial city, the Protagonist dreams of the countryside. Once there, though, he witnesses a lynching. He works for a farmer, makes advances to the farmer's shocked wife, and is chased away. A second farmer, deep in the forest, takes him in. After a long time of work and learning he dreams of leading the workers in rebellion. Returning to the city he finds it largely idle and the workers desperate. When police attack peacefully gathered workers he kills one of the police, but is killed himself in turn.

Reprints

• from Wild Pilgrimage (Harrison Smith & Robert Haas, 1932 series) (1932)

Keywords

Class struggle; engraving; Great Depression; lynching; pantomime; police; riot; woodcut; wordless

Indexer Notes

In the introductory article Lynd Ward states that while most of the blocks are in black, those which reflect the Protagonist's interior thoughts and feelings are in red.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 27)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

V. Prelude to a Million Years

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 28)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 29)

text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I remember once, when I was still young enough to regard the life of an artist as somehow special and endowed with magic and romance, I paid a visit to the studio of a well-known painter.

Prelude to a Million Years (Table of Contents: 30)

comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

drama

Characters

The artist; mugger; striking workers; police; patriotic marchers; woman

Synopsis

Even among the detritus of the industrial age, the artist finds inspiration in the vision of a woman, and tries to sculpt his glorious vision. This moves him to long for a lost love, and he sets out to find her. On the way the city is convulsed. A neighbor beats his wife. The artist is mugged. Police attack striking workers. Patriotic marchers seize passersby and force them to kiss the flag. He finds his long-ago lewd and drunken, then staggers back to the cold comfort of his sculpture.

Reprints

• from Prelude to a Million Years (Equinox Cooperative Press, Inc., 1933 series) #[nn] (1933)

Keywords

Artist; engraving; Great Depression; pantomime; police; sculptor; woodcut; wordless

Indexer Notes

Lynd Ward states in the introductory passage that he made this story as a footnote or codicil to Gods' Man, reflecting the changes wrought by the advent of the Depression.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 31)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

VI. Song Without Words

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 32)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 33)

text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I have always held that the individual who 'reads' a pictorial narrative should feel completely free to develop his own interpretation and end up with something that is right for him.

Song Without Words (Table of Contents: 34)

comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Genre

fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Mother; father; child; victims of Fascism

Synopsis

A young expectant mother faces in fantastic forms the horrors of Fascism and the Great Depression -- in particular, the suffering of children in war and in concentration camps. When she gives birth, she and the father shelter the child together.

Keywords

Childbirth; engraving; Fascism; Great Depression; pantomime; pregnancy; woodcut; wordless

[VII. Vertigo] (Table of Contents: 35)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 36)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

"I sometimes wonder how many who live in this great metropolitan area remember, as they drive along Manhattan's West Side Highway and make the swing at 72nd Street... that in that spot in the early thirties there was a Hooverville...." (Table of Contents: 37)

text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Genre

non-fiction

[Vertigo] The Girl (Table of Contents: 38)

comic story / 20.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

drama

Characters

The girl; father; young man

Synopsis

The girl and the young man are graduated from high school in highest expectations. He hopes for a good job, she for a career as a violinist. As the Depression deepens he leaves town to find work, but she does not hear from him again. When the father loses his job he attempts suicide so that the girl will receive the benefits of his life insurance, but only succeeds in blinding himself. The girl pawns her violin, and they are evicted from their apartment. At the end they wait in line, with many others, for relief.

Reprints

• from Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts (Random House, 1937 series) (1937)

Keywords

Engraving; Great Depression; homeless; pantomime; welfare; woodcut; wordless

Indexer Notes

The story is told year by year from 1929 to 1935.

[Vertigo] An Elderly Gentleman (Table of Contents: 39)

comic story / 25.5 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

drama

Characters

Elderly gentleman; butler; corporation officers; workers; strikebreakers; soldiers; doctors

Synopsis

An elderly gentlemen pursues refined and artistic pleasures. When his corporation profits decline he orders pay cuts, layoffs, and longer hours. As the workers strike he hires strikebreakers, then gets government officials to send in troops. He collapses and is bedridden, but profits once again are up.

Reprints

• from Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts (Random House, 1937 series) (1937)

Keywords

Engraving; Great Depression; pantomime; strikebreaker; union; woodcut; wordless

Indexer Notes

The corporation in this story is the one from which the father is laid off in the previous story. The story is told through the course of a year, from January through February.

[Vertigo] The Boy (Table of Contents: 40)

comic story / 24 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Genre

drama

Characters

The boy; the girl; elderly gentleman; drunk driver; Bugg

Synopsis

After bidding the girl farewell the boy wanders in search of work until he is sole witness of a fatal car crash. Stealing the victim's good clothes he returns to the city, watching the girl from afar, but the only work he can find is as a strikebreaker, which he refuses to be. Desperately he attempts crime but is scared off by a passing policeman. At length he sells his blood to the bedridden elderly gentleman, who needs a transfusion. With those few dollars in his pocket he makes a glum reunion with the girl.

Reprints

• from Vertigo: A Novel in Woodcuts (Random House, 1937 series) (1937)

Keywords

Drunk driver; engraving; Great Depression; pantomime; strikebreaker; unemployment; woodcut; wordless

Indexer Notes

The story is told as though in the space of a week, Monday through Sunday.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 41)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

VIII. Book Illustrations

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 42)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 43)

text article / 3 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

To anyone who has been impressed by the frequency with which books over the years have been illustrated with woodcuts or wood engravings, it will come as no surprise to find that this relationship... goes back many centuries.

Genre

non-fiction

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 44)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 45)

illustration / 12 pages (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Characters

Faust; Mephistopheles; Margaret [Gretchen]; Victor Frankenstein [Dr. Frankenstein]; Frankenstein's monster

Keywords

Engraving; woodcut

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 46)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

IX. A Variety of Small Ones

Indexer Notes

Chapter divider

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 47)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 48)

text article / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"Because it is endowed with a basic utilitarian character and is able to perform a variety of labors, the woodblock has been used to provide a great range of printed materials besides adding imagery to the pages of a book.

Genre

non-fiction

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 49)

illustration / 8 pages (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Characters

Art Young; Ethan Allen; angels; Harry F. Ward

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 50)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

X. Prints

Indexer Notes

Chapter divider

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 51)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 52)

text article / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Lynd Ward (credited)

Letters

Typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The cords that have bound picturemakers and woodblocks together so closely over the years have been badly frayed by the advent of the camera and the development of today's photochemical technology.

Genre

non-fiction

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 53)

illustration / 71 pages (report information)

Pencils

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Inks

Lynd Ward (woodcut) (credited)

Letters

Typeset

Characters

Janus; Jacob; angels; artists; men; women; children

Keywords

Engraving; woodcut

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 54)

blank page(s) / 1 page (report information)

bibliography (Table of Contents: 55)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Letters

Typeset

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 56)

blank page(s) / 5 pages (report information)